Here's My Ultimate Packing List for People Who Hate Planning For Trips

Friends! As promised on Instagram, this week’s newsletter is about my packing list. Last Wednesday, I set off for a three-day wellness retreat in Bodrum, Turkey—hosted by my dear friend Kimberly Drew in collaboration with On—followed by a three-day work trip with Cartier in Stockholm, Sweden. I was determined to pack for these vastly different climates in only a carry-on. Halfway through, I realized I should tell my pals (that’s you!) about my strategy.

I somehow managed to both overpack and underpack, but I didn’t have to check anything, so a win is a win. Here’s how I did it.

LUGGAGE

Longtime readers will recognize the carry-on in this lineup. A shoulder bag (for the city) layered into a net bag (for the beach) are new additions that, I have to say, I felt especially proud (read: smug) about fitting into my Dagne Dover duffel.

TRAVEL OUTFIT

First, a bit of a backstory on the travel itself. What should have been easy, on-time flights to Istanbul and then to Bodrum, turned into two extremely delayed flights (one for seven hours, the other for five hours). I landed in a pretty shitty mood, but I was comfortable thanks to this airport outfit: a trench coat with a black blazer underneath, long-sleeve polo shirt, horseshoe-shaped pants, and sneakers.

Layering coats ensured I was warm enough on the flight and later in Stockholm (though I would have been fine in just the blazer). The pants were comfortable to sleep in, and the sneakers made walking around the airport easy on my feet.

STRATEGY AND KEY PIECES

Okay, so this is where I really made myself proud. Because I rarely pack head-to-toe outfits, I instead filled my suitcase with items that landed somewhere in the middle of the road, dress code-wise, and could fit both locations. For example, the Issey Miyake skirt pictured below could work at a beach dinner or a cocktail party, depending on what I wore with it. Similarly, I brought one pair of black pants that were day- and night-appropriate in Stockholm, depending on the shirt I chose.

I was able to mix pieces from my travel look with pieces in my suitcase, and fun sunglasses, jewelry, and shoes that didn’t take up a lot of space made each outfit feel new and fresh. Lastly, I want to call out the Tory Burch flats which are, in short, a revelation. The true definition of a shoe you can dress up or dress down.

As for what I underpacked and overpacked? Too many cocktail-party tops, not enough downtime pieces. I’ll remember this for next time.

Reading List

First time reading Self Checkout? Catch up on the past few weeks.